Brassiere with elastic support straps



y 1965 M. GINGRAS 3,185,157

BRASSIERE WITH ELASTIC SUPPORT STRAPS Filed Aug. 14, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 7 RcEL Gavan/2s irromvsys y 1965 a M. GINGRAS 3,185,157

BRASSIERE WITH ELASTIC SUPPORT STRAPS Filed Aug. 14, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR MARCEL GINGRAS United States Patent BRASSIERE WI'IH ELASTIC SUPPGRT ETRAPS Marcel Gingras, St. Foy, Quebec, Qanada, assignor to Dominion Corset Company, Limited, Quehec, Quebec,

Canada Filed Aug. 14, 1963, Ser. No. 392,134 Claims priority, application Canada June 25, 1963 7 Claims. (Cl. 128483) This invention relates to improvements in brassieres and more particularly to the provision of a pair of elastic shoulder straps extended forwardly in cross-over effect to provide a resilient support for the breast pockets of the brassiere, and extended rearwardly to provide a resilient support to the brassiere waist band.

It has been the object in brassiere manufacture to provide a maximum of support with the greatest possible comfort to the wearer. This has been accomplished, to some extent, by providing resilient panels in the garment, and having the panels woven in such a manner that, when inserted in the garment, stretch of the panels will be in a predetermined direction. Resiliency has also been accomplished by building-in a cross-over effect in the area between the breast pockets of the brassiere in order to reduce the effect of pull from one side or other of the garment. Such a cross-over effect is disclosed in Canadian Patent No. 568,668 dated January 6, 1959. However, the resiliency obtained has been restricted due to more rigid construction in various other parts of the garment such as the binding between the various panels and the attachment of non-elastic shoulder straps, with or without elastic inserts.

The present invention seeks to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks to complete resiliency in a brassiere and consists essentially in providing a pair of elastic shoulder straps of extended length. Each shoulder strap extends along the top edge of the side panel of the garment to terminate at the rear fastening of the garment and at the front of the garment extends along the top edge of a portion of the adjacent breast pocket and across and along the boundary of the opposite breast pocket and the top edge of the front body band section of the garment. At the point of cross-over of the straps between the breast pockets, one strap rides freely over the other, thereby eliminating the transfer of pull of one strap to the other. The invention is further characterized in that each strap is made up of two bands of elastic material laid flat in the same plane and having their adjacent longitudinal edges joined together in spaced apart relationship by loose stitching looped together in such a manner that one band will have limited longitudinal movement relative to the other band. The invention is still further characterized in that the garment is secured to only one band of each of the straps so that, where the band is secured to a panel of the garment which'has stretch in the same direction as that of the attached band, stretch of the band at the joint of the band and panel is reduced only fractionally. At the same time the adjacent band of the straps is attached to the garment only through the loose stitching holding the band together, therefore this band is stretchable over its entire length and is only restricted relative to the adjacent band by the flexibility of the stitching joining the hands together.

The object of the invention is to provide a brassiere having a pair of straps of elastic material, each of which at the front of the garment forms a support under one breast pocket, continues to form a shoulder strap and is then secured along an upper edge of the garment towards the rear fastening.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pair of straps of elastic material secured along one longitudinal edge to front and rear'portions of the garment and having an intermediate portion looped free of the garment to form shoulder straps.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pair of support straps formed of two separate bands of elastic material joined together in spaced apart edge to edge relationship and to have the garment secured to one band only of each of the said straps.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brassiere having certain of its panels stretchable in the same direction as the straps to which the panels are secured.

A further object of the invention is to provide a pair of straps or" elastic material crossing over each other between the breast pockets of the brassiere and riding free of each other at their point of cross-over.

A further object of the invention is to have at least a portion of the crossed-over straps forming a resilient support under the lower portion of each breast pocket of the garment.

A further object of the invention is to provide means whereby each breast pocket will stay in place even if the wearer lifts one shoulder, the opposite breast pocket will remain in the same position.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed specification and the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a brassiere showing the elasticized shoulder straps secured to the top edges of the garment and crossing over in front to continue under and support the breast pockets of the garment.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevation of the brassiere shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of the front cross-over portion of the garment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a transverse section on the line 5-5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged elevation showing the binding of the strap to the top edge of the garment.

FIG. 7 is a vertical section on the line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

Referring to the drawings the brassiere 5 is provided with a pair of breast pockets 6, front body band sections 7 and side panels 8. The usual hook and eye fasteners 9 and 16 are also provided for joining the ends of the garment together. The panels 7 are woven in such manner that, when fitted into the garment they have stretchability in a vertical direction as indicated by the arrows A, while he panels 8 are woven in such a manner that when fitted into the garment they have stretchability in a horizontal direction as indicated by the arrows B.

A pair of straps 11 are formed from two bands, 12 and 13 of elastic material laid flat in side by side spaced apart arrangement and joined together by looped stitching 14 so that the bands 12 and 13 can have limited longitudinal movement relative to each other.

Referring particularly to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the straps 11 extend from the rear ends of the garment, along a portion of the top edge of the panels 8, then looped free of the garment to form the shoulder straps 15 then continue along the central top edge of the adjacent breast pocket of the garment to cross over with each other in the front centre line of the garment and then under the bottom portion of the opposite breast pocket of the garment.

Considering only the attachment of one strap 11 to the garment, only the band 13 of the strap 11 is attached to the garment and band 12 is free of any direct attachment except through the stitching 14 connecting the bands 12 and 13 together. Commencing at the rear end 16 of the garment, the band 13 is secured to the top edge 17 of the panel 8 by the stitching 18. Beyond the top edge 17 of the panel 8 both bands 12 and 13 of the strap 11 are looped free above the armpit edge 19 to form the shoulder straps 15. The band 13 is then secured to the top edge 20 of the breast pocket 6 by the stitching 21. The strap '11 then continues across the front centre line of the garment and under the opposite breast pocket 6 and has its band 13 attached to the top edge 22 of the front body band section 7 by the stitching 23 and terminates at the joint between the breast pocket 6 and front body band section 7 with the side panel 8.

As the side panels 8 are stretchable in a horizontal direction as indicated by the arrows B, a degree of stretch.

of that portion of the band 13 which is stitched to the panel 8 is still obtainable and, combined with the adjacent portion of the band 12 extends the effective stretch of the strap 11 from the shoulder strap to the rear fasten ing of the garment. As will be seen in FIG. 3 the front panel 7 is secured to approximately one half only of the adjacent band 13 leaving the other half 13a free to stretch in its longitudinal direction. Portion 1311, together with the adjacent band 12, are free to stretch and between them form a resilient support for the breast pockets 6.

The resilient support of one breast pocket by the free portions of the bands 12 and 13 is not affected by any pull on the strap supporting the other breast pocket as the straps at their point of cross-over with each other are entirely free to move independently of each other and 3 so provide independent support for each of the breast pockets. Then each breast pocket will stay in place even if the wearer lifts one shoulder, the opposite breast pocket will remain in the same position.

It will therefore be apparent that the bands 12, except for their flexible attachment to the bands 13 by the looped stitching 14, are free to stretch throughout their length, and that the bands 13 can also stretch over a major portion of their length.

A garment constructed as above described provides a' 1':

degree of flexibility both front and back and the shoulder straps 15 will automatically adjust strain originating at either the front or back of the garment. Furthermore, the fact that the straps 11, including the shoulder strap portions 15, are in one continuous resilient length, obviates the necessity of the use of metal slide adjustment clips at the shoulder straps.

Another feature of the continuous straps 11, as will be seen in FIG. 1, is that the sweep upwards and outwards adjacent edges of said front body band section and to the adjacent edges of said breast pockets, and a pair of straps of elastic material, each of said pair of straps having one edge thereof secured along one end portion of its length to an upper longitudinal edge portion of each of said side panels and along an upper and inwardly facing edge portion of the breast pocket adjacent to the side panel to which the strap is attached, the portion of each strap between its attachment to the side panel and breast pocket being looped free to form shoulder straps, each of said straps continuing past the medial centerline of the brassiere in cross-over relation and under the lower portion of theopposite breast pocket towards the adjacent side panel to which the said latter breast pocket is attached, the said straps at their point of cross-over being free to move independently of each other, each of the said straps being secured along its lower edge portion only to the lower edge portion of the breast pocket to which it is passed under and to the adjacent upper edge portion of the said front body band section, the unattached portion of the strap below each breast pocket forming an upstanding flexible support to the under portion of the breast pockets.

2. A brassiere as set forth in claim 1 in which the said pair of straps at their point of cross-over between the breast pockets are unattached to each other.

3. A brassiere as set forth in claim 1 in which the said pair of straps are each formed of two separate bands of elastic material laid side by side in spaced apart relationship and having their adjacent edges joined together by loose stitching, a first only of said separate bands being attached directly to adjacent portions of the brassiere.

4. A brassiere as set forth in claim 1 in which the said pair of straps are each formed of two separate bands of elastic material laid side by side in spaced apart relationship and having their adjacent edges joined together by loose stitching, the attachment of the said straps to the brassiere being through one band only of each pair of straps.

5. A brassiere as set forth in claim 4 in which the attachment of the said straps to the upper edge portion of said breast pockets and side panels is to one band only of the said straps.

6. A brassiere as set forth in claim 1 in which the said side panels are stretchable in the same direction as the at tached portions of the said straps.

7. A brassiere as set forth in claim 1 in which the attachment of the said straps to the upper inner facing edge of the breast pockets is such that the shoulder strap portions of the straps are directed upwardly and outwardly in an off-shoulder direction.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,016,516 10/35 Robbins 128-451 2,202,058 5/40 Malnick 12s-4s3 2,628,357 2/53 Sider 12s 512 2,672,613 3/54 Popp- 12s-510 3,066,676 12/62 Kaupp 12s 49s 3,120,848 2/64 Seperack 12s 510 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS R. PRINCE, DELBERT B. LOWE, Examiners. 

1. A BRASSIERE COMPRISING A FRONT BODY BAND SECTION, A PAIR OF BREAST POCKETS SECURED AT THEIR LOWER EDGES TO THE ADJACENT UPPER EDGE OF THE FRONT BODY BAND SECTION, AND A PAIR OF SIDE PANELS SECURED AT THEIR FRONT ENDS OF THE ADJACENT EDGES OF SAID FRONT BODY AND BAND SECTION AND TO THE ADJACENT EDGES OF SAID BREAST POCKETS, AND A PAIR OF STRAPS OF ELASTIC MATERIAL, EACH OF SAID PAIR OF STRAPS HAVING ONE EDGE THEREOF SECURED ALONG ONE END PORTION OF ITS LENGTH TO AN UPPER LONGITUDINAL EDGE PORTION OF EACH OF SAID SIDE PANELS AND ALONG AN UPPER AND INWARDLY FACING EDGE PORTION OF THE BREAST POCKET ADJACENT TO THE SIDE PANEL TO WHICH THE STRAP IS ATTACHED, THE PORTION OF EACH STRAP BETWEEN ITS ATTACHMENT TO THE SIDE PANEL AND BREAST POCKET BEING LOOPED FREE TO FORM SHOULDER STRAPS, EACH OF SAID STRAPS CONTINUING PAST THE MEDIAL CENTERLINE OF THE BRASSIERE IN CROSS-OVER RELATION AND UNDER THE LOWER PORTION OF THE OPPOSITE BREAST POCKET TOWARDS THE ADJACENT SIDE PANEL TO WHICH THE SAID LATTER BREAST POCKET IS ATTACHED, THE SAID STRAPS AT THEIR POINT OF CROSS-OVER BEING FREE TO MOVE INDEPENDENTLY OF EACH OTHER, EACH PORTION ONLY TO THE LOWER SECURED ALONG ITS LOWER EDGE PORTION ONLY TO THE LOWER EDGE PORTION OF THE BREAST POCKET TO WHICH IT IS PASSED UNDER AND TO THE ADJACENT UPPER EDGE PORTION OF THE SAID FRONT BODY BAND SECTION, THE UNATTACHED PORTION OF THE STRAP BELOW EACH BREAST POCKET FORMING AN UPSTANDING FLEXIBLE SUPPORT TO THE UNDER PORTION OF THE BREAST POCKETS. 